Letters to the Editor, Dec. 10

There is only one possible way that Calgary and/or any other city contemplating an Olympic bid should move forward, and here it is: if a city is awarded the opportunity to host the Games, they should automatically be given the opportunity to host the Games again eight years down the road. For example, if Vancouver, who hosted the Games back in 2010, were again to host the Games this year, it would be very profitable for them this time around. The volunteers would be ready and know their jobs, the venues are already there and the people who visit would love to came back and do it again only this time they would know what they wish they knew last time! If the IOC wants cities to spend billions of dollars to put on the biggest dog and pony show in the world, then they need to give them an opportunity to succeed financially, not offer up a gamble that rarely pays off.MORI LaCHAPPELLE(Sounds like a great idea, although that’s asking a lot of volunteers.)

STOP SAYING SORRY Back in the day, before society was enlightened and educated, homosexuality was a crime and people who broke the law were punished. Now those people have received one of (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau’s famous, weekly, tearful apologies, along with some cash and all is forgiven. I don’t agree with the way the LGBTQ people were treated but it was a different world back then and we learn from our mistakes. Unfortunately, now the precedent has been set. Cannabis is about to become mainstream after decades of being illegal, so I suppose anyone who has been charged, convicted or incarcerated relating to a pot offence will also receive a heartfelt, tearful apology and erasure of their criminal record, along with a cheque to go with it? Along with everyone else in Canada, I’m suffering pretty severe trauma watching our massive joke of a prime minister as he continually embarrasses Canadians and wastes our hard-earned money. So in a few years, I’m fully expecting a tearful, heartfelt apology from whomever replaces Trudeau to all Canadians along with a few million bucks to go with it. Oh, wait, who pays the bill for that?CHRIS ROSE(There’s no end to the number of people who have been badly treated over the years. It’s called history.)

DO WE NEED IT? I have written to my councillor many times, advising her to put a hold on public art or, better yet, eliminate it. I don’t need to repeat the many logical reasons here as they have been publicized in many letters and articles in this paper. This city council does not seem to understand the difference between a “need” and a “nice to have”. I will try a very simple example — food is a “need”, whereas a feast is a “nice to have”. It then follows that the 2026 Olympics are not a “need”, unless, of course, you have an ego driving you to the conclusion that as the “best mayor in the world” you “need” to leave a legacy. Likewise, public art is not a “need”. I will grant you that a city without some public art may appear drab, but by definition the city would and could survive without public art. Given that, even I would agree that some art would be “nice to have”. In lieu of the current policy, I recommend that where our esteemed city council and planners deem to “need” some art, they issue a request for this art. Aspiring artists would only be eligible if they have a Calgary address. The selection would be carried out by a panel of five judges on a volunteer basis from the U of C, MRU, etc. The winner would be awarded a token prize of about $5K to $10K. The prize needs to be relatively small to avoid corruption. Let’s get rid of this current stupid art policy.LARRY MOSER(If taxpayers want to be patrons of the arts, they can do so themselves on their own dime and own time.)

THANKS, THIEF We would like to thank the person or persons who found my auntie’s wallet and turned it into customer service at the Signal Hill Superstore on Nov. 30. It would (have) been nicer if you had left her cash in her wallet. She is 76 years old, and the $2,200 was rent, lights, gas, and her grocery money for the month of December. Because I do the driving for her, she had all her money in her purse. We stopped to get groceries first and then drive her to pay bills.Normally she doesn’t pack all this money around. When we got to the cash register, we noticed her wallet was missing and we immediately went to customer service where her wallet was there, minus the cash. We hope you got everything you need for a wonderful Christmas as my auntie’s Christmas is starting out with an eviction notice. Maybe you can find it in your heart to return some, or if not all, of the money. Thank you! If you have a change of heart, please leave it at customer service at the Signal Hill Superstore, in regards to Doreen Leblanc.LORETTA LINKLATER(That’s really crappy but perhaps the person who turned the wallet in found it already empty? Good luck.)

IS HE MAD? Re: (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau to rehabilitate ISIS thugs. OK, this is the last straw. I’m so angry that I don’t know where to begin as this idea is just so wrong in so many ways. Justifiably so, Canada’s worldwide reputation will soon hit rock bottom as a result of our leader’s latest and most serious inexcusable blunder. And I want every leader of every country that we call an ally to know about this so they can condemn Trudeau in the most severe manner possible. He has shamed Canadians in the worst way possible. What are the grounds for impeachment in this country? Can the Governor General suspend parliament when the leader commits treason? Is there not one single Liberal MP that has the courage and cares enough about Canada to speak up and end this insanity? This country needs serious help and needs it now. God help us.WAYNE MUNSON(Throw all returning jihadis in jail with plenty of time think about their betrayal of our country.)

RULE BY LAW So, the Sun believes Finance Minister (Joe) Ceci should have stopped teacher “raises for experience” as a means of reducing Alberta’s deficit! The problem with this advice is that such increases in salary have been an integral part of teachers’ contracts for many years — and as recent history in B.C. clearly shows, contractual matters like this cannot be unilaterally “stripped” from contracts by government. Former B.C. premier Christy Clark attempted this very thing in 2002 when she was minister of education and the eventual result was a definitive, November 2016 Supreme Court ruling that overturned all of the contract stripping that Ms. Clark foolishly attempted to impose upon teachers. I would hope the Sun’s Editorial Board is not promoting that Ceci bypass rule by law because as B.C. discovered, such tactics — even when implemented by elected governments — will not be tolerated by Canada’s Supreme Court.AL POLLOCK(Well, OK then. As you were.)

HE WANTS TO DO WHAT? In this Sunday’s Sun, I read the article entitled “Can Trudeau be trusted”, which told the story about how (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau and the Liberals have no plans to charge any ISIS fighters but instead plan to spend millions to repatriate them. My question is why was this article buried in the back of the paper and not on the front page? This is a new low for Trudeau in regards to snubbing the military. He totally ignores the many veterans living on the street but is willing to spend millions on these Canadian traitors who fought and committed atrocities in the name of ISIS. Isn’t this akin to sponsoring terrorism? What is he trying to do, make Canada a new Caliphate for ISIS now that they have been defeated in Iraq and Syria? How long before the U.S.A. puts Canada on the same list as terrorist-sponsoring rogue states like North Korea and Iran? The U.S. has lost many soldiers and spent many billions fighting ISIS, so I assume they are not too pleased with Canada being a sanctuary for ISIS fighters. Could this be part of the reason the U.S.is playing hardball in the NAFTA negotiations? What really baffles the mind is why so many Canadians continue to support Trudeau? Trudeau’s actions clearly illustrate that thinks that if you positively contribute to Canada, whether as a soldier or taxpayer, you are of no use to him other than to finance his special interests.RICHARD DUREC(If you went to fight for ISIS, you are a traitor and should never see Canada from outside a prison cell.)

CPS FAILURE So the CPS is hiring a law firm to act as “workplace advisors” to deal with concerns over bullying and harassment. How much of the $20-million CPS budget increase is earmarked for this initiative? Does CPS not already have policies to deal with this? Why do they need outside help to deal with internal issues? They can enforce the law publicly but can’t police themselves? Don’t they do pre-screening and psychological assessments of new recruits? Why does it take so long to weed out the chaff? Why not hire someone who really understands the culture of internal bullying and harassment. Someone like Jen Magnus, who left the force because CPS didn’t deal with the issues she was facing. When you have white-collar types dealing with blue-collar issues, you get a pricey paper trail but very little real-world solutions.PAUL BAUMBERG(Massive culture change doesn’t happen overnight but it appears from the outside that the CPS is taking its sweet time.)

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